Long-time Bradford councillor, Peter Dykie thanks the community for their outpouring of support in the days following a violent attack at his downtown jewellery store.
The staff at Bradford Jewellery are still recovering from a failed robbery attempt last week, in which owner and Ward 7 Coun. Dykie was struck with a pistol, requiring him to go to hospital for 10 stitches on the top of his head.
“I want to thank all the residents of BWG, neighbours reaching out to me with their cards, their cookies, the phone calls. I want to thank everybody for their warm wishes. It just goes to show you that Bradford is a warm, well-knitted community, and when bad things happen everybody sticks together and supports each other,” Dykie said.
On Saturday, he had trouble keeping up with the number of people who came into the store to make sure he was OK, to offer help and to wish him well.
“It’s hard at the beginning because we’re still in trauma, but it just goes to show the warm hearts of Bradford,” he said.
That trauma stems from the violence Dykie and long-time employee Robin Visser faced during the afternoon of Thursday, July 6, when three Black men burst into the store at about 4:15 p.m., while Dykie was on the phone with his sons who were in Vaughan.
“I froze. They came running around the corner (from Barrie Street onto Holland Street East) and he kicked the door and pushed it in. It was like a kangaroo; he was so fast and light on his feet — a tall guy,” Dykie said.
Then, he recalls two more men followed, each with a regular claw hammer and a white bag.
“First I thought, ‘I can’t believe this is happening.’ When I saw the two guys behind him with the white bags and hammers I thought ‘this is real,’ ” Dykie said.
Visser described the gunman as erratic, with a pistol resembling a Glock shaking in his hand as he ordered her to get down on the floor.
“When he pointed it at me, I couldn’t believe it. I wondered ‘what’s going on?’ It felt like a movie or a video game or something. It was real bizarre. I thought ‘This can’t be happening here. This doesn’t happen here,’ ” she said.
Dykie risked his own life in an effort to protect his employee.
“I thought he was going towards my staff. I said ‘No, no, no!’ He turned his back to me, and I went towards him. He lifted his gun up and hit me in the head, and that’s when blood started gushing,” he said, adding that he fell to the floor.
Despite attempting to hammer through the glass of a display case on the wall and another near the register, the would-be thieves failed to break through or take any jewellery, though one display case was damaged.
South Simcoe Police Service said the men fled in a grey sedan.
“I just thank God, because yes, my head got split, but my staff didn’t get shot and I didn’t get shot. The guy was so unpredictable. He was waving the gun. All I could look at was the barrel, thinking ‘this guy’s gonna shoot,’ ” Dykie said.
Visser recalled the banging of the hammers on glass to be so loud that she thought it might be gunshots.
“When I finally stood up and I saw Peter, I thought he was shot. When they were banging the glass I thought they had shot him. It was terrible,” she said.
The experience is having a lasting impact on Visser.
“I always prided myself on my customer service, and I really like people and like to talk to them. Now, even customers we know, I’ve said to Peter, don’t let them in ... that’s how unnerving it is. I can’t help it. I don’t think I’ll be how I was with customers before, so free and friendly. I hope it goes away,” she said.
Despite being treated at hospital that afternoon and returning home that evening, Dykie said he was right back in the store the following day, calling the alarm company and a locksmith and swapping out a showcase with spider-web cracks in the glass for one he had in storage.
A blood stain on the rug about the size of a large dog, was also waiting for Dykie.
“I put bleach on it and I cleaned it up, because I didn’t want to see it,” he said.
Dykie also didn’t want it to frighten the customers who had appointments that day.
“I don’t want to let anyone down, so I had to be here to look after them. I had four customers come for wedding rings that were getting married on Saturday,” he said.
Despite remaining open, staff are taking extra precautions, and a note on the door asks customers to knock first, before someone will come to unlock it and let them enter.
On Wednesday afternoon, Dykie’s son Justin was handling that responsibility, keeping the store secure while also greeting customers with a smile.
The ongoing flow of people coming and going kept him busy, frequently going back and forth between helping people in the store while also manning the door.
That’s just a temporary measure, though, and Dykie has plans for increased security.
“We always had our door open at all times, but now, we’re building a vestibule. No more just walking into the shop. Everyone’s going to get buzzed in now,” he said, explaining there will be a second door on the inside with an electronic lock to prevent anyone from coming straight into the store.
In addition, Dykie is also hoping to add a metal detector to alert him to potential weapons and a ring camera so he can see and talk to anyone trying to enter the shop when he’s not there.
That all comes in addition to the specialized tempered glass and multi-level security and camera system already in the store — the footage from which was given to the police.
“We have to lock it down. I’ve been here 39 years in business in Bradford, and I never thought I’d have to resort to this. It’s sad,” he said.
Coincidentally, Dykie said he had already started making plans for the vestibule and called a contractor to come take measurements just two weeks prior to the incident.
“I started seeing different clientele walking around and I felt nervous. The demographics are changing. Years ago — being 39 years in business — you knew Bradford, but now there’s so many new people to the community, you don’t know who’s who anymore. At the end of the day, you just don’t know. You gotta be careful these days,” he said.
Since opening in 1984, Dykie said he had never experienced an armed robbery.
The only thing that came close, was when he said someone robbed the store during a break and enter in 2009.
Dykie recommends businesses and residents make sure they have security cameras, good locks on their doors and to lock their cars at night.
On the evening of the incident, the town issued a statement from Deputy Mayor Raj Sandhu on behalf of council in response what happened.
“This brazen attack has left many residents, fellow business owners, and Peter’s family and friends shaken. I encourage the public’s assistance, support, and co-operation as South Simcoe Police conduct their investigation,” Sandhu said.
One week later, police were unable to provide an update on the investigation.
The most-recent public statement from police said they were appealing to the public for help identifying the suspects, which they described as:
- Suspect No. 1: Male, Black — late teens to early 20s, tall, approximately six foot, thin build, wearing a black balaclava style mask, black pants and a black sweater, with a red circular logo.
- Suspect No. 2: Male, Black — late teens to early 20s, average height, approximately 5-foot-7, medium build, wearing a black balaclava style mask, wearing a half black/half white Nike tech fleece sweater, black sweatpants, possibly a red reusable bag.
- Suspect No. 3: Male, Black — early 20s, average height, approximately 5-foot-10, wearing a black balaclava style mask, black clothing.
In the same release police directed anyone with information, security camera or dashcamera footage, to contact Acting Sgt. Andrew Smith at 905-775-3311, 705-436-2141, extension 1043, [email protected], or Det. Const. Dan Raymond at 905-775-3311, 705-436-2141, extension 1027, [email protected], or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS(8477).
